MCU Series on Disney +
About
On March 30, 2022, Moon Knight officially became part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the debut of his self-titled show on the Disney + Disney + Streaming Service. Currently there are no announced plans to carry this show on any other services or formats. Moon Knight is the 6th show in the MCU, but unlike the other shows, this one has been designed to stand on its own. Outside of the occasional line of dialogue, this show does not directly tie in or reference any of the other MCU properties. The series stars Oscar Issac as the titular hero, and Ethan Hawke as the antagonist, Arthur Harrow. The series spans 6 episodes, with most episodes having a runtime between 40 and 50 minutes. The Moon Knight series presents itself as an action-adventure with a heavy emphasis on Egyptian Iconography. It also heavily addresses issues such as Dissociative Identity Disorder, which were also prevalent in the comic. The show was helmed by Mohamad Diab, who also directed 4 of the episodes. The other two episodes were directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead. The vast majority of the series was filmed in Budapest, Hungary over a 6 month period. A great deal of secrecy surrounded the production, which is typical for most Marvel productions.
CostumeMoon Knight's costumes in the show were designed by Meghan Kasperlik. The primary costume appears to borrow elements from various iterations of the character, most notably his classic costume, his Fist of Khonshu Costume, and his Universe X Costume. But it also introduces many of its own elements. The costume is predominantly white, but features gold and silver elements. The cloth resembles wrapped bandages, similar to that of an Egyptian Mummy. The iconic cowl and moon emblem are present, as is his crescent darts. In addition to the classicaly inspired costume, we also see a Mr Knight costume in the show. Within the context of the show it is described as being Stephen Grants interpretation of the "protective armor" given to him by Khonshu. It is a nearly perfect translation of the comic book version of the costume. It is an all white suit featuring slacks, a vest, tie, jacket, and full face mask. The only notable difference is that his mask features a scar down the middle.
ReceptionFan reaction to both the show has been generally positive with all but 1 episode having a rating of 8.0 or higher on IMDB. Most viewers find the story to be compelling and a refreshing departure from the standard Marvel method. However, long time fans of the character are often more critical of the changes made in the adaptation. The MCU connection to the show has brought considerable attention to the character. This has attracted new fans and brought recognition to what was once a very niche character. One of the positives of this newfound attention is that it has lead to a massive increase in material being produced by Marvel relating to Moon Knight. This includes Trade collection reprints, multiple ongoing comic series, new figures, and various other merchandice offerings. One of the negatives of this newfound attention has been that more people have been trying to collect Moon Knight comics. This traditionally cheap endeavor has become prohibitively expensive because of it. Moon Knight's first appearance in Werewolf by Night #32 is now selling for many thousands of dollars, when just 10 years ago it was only a few hundred.
Changes
(The Following Contains Spoilers)
As with any movie adaptation, changes from the source material are expected, and Moon Knight is no exception. Some of these changes are controversial, and others are generally accepted to be reasonable, if not arguably better. The most notable change is
with Moon Knight's alternate personalities. Although they retain their original names, the alternate personalities are arguably completely different characters. In the Comic, Stephen Grant is a well-spoken millionaire playboy. He was seen as smooth,
handsome, and charming. In the show, Stephen Grant is a timid and awkward gift shop employee. He is also depicted as being particularly smart and multilingual. Stephen's British accent is also new, but it is explained (along with its lack of authenticity)
well within context of the show. Marc's other personality Jake Lockley is barely seen within the show, but is also a strong departure from the comic version. In the comics, Jake Lockley is a street wise cab driver in New York. He is tough as nails and good
at maneuvering the less savory areas of society. However, at no point has he ever been presented as a wild card or murderer. In the show, it is implied that Jake Lockley is unhinged and willing to kill.
Another major change in the show is with Layla El-Faouly. Put simply, she doesn't exist in the comics. But a very similar character does: Marlene Aulrane. She was also the daughter of an archaeologist who was killed by Marc's mercenary partner. The main difference here is that she was present during her fathers death in the comics. And she also has a fondness for Stephen Grant in the comics. But it could be argued that outside of these similarities, Layla is a very different character. In my opinion, these changes make a lot of sense within the context of the show. Towards the end of the series, Layla becomes the avatar of Tawaret transforming her into the Scarlet Scarab. In the comics, the Scarlet Scarab is a villain known as Abdul Faoul (The name is not a coincidence). So it could be argued that Layla is a combination of Marlene and Abdul.
In the comics, Moon Knight's costume is made of standard earthly materials. In his first appearance it was silver and black, as his chief antagonist was a werewolf. But in later interpretations it was seen as white and black. Within the show the costume is supernatural, and can be conjured at will. It also provides Marc Spector with added protection against threats such as Bullets and spears. This supernatural element also allowed for both Marc and Stephen to have different costumes as they were representations of each's personality.
Much of Moon Knight's origin was kept intact, such as how he found Khonshu. However, the origin of his Stephen Grant persona is quite different. In the show, it was suggested that Stephen Grant was created as a way for Marc to escape the torment of his abusive mother. His mother hated him because she blamed him for the death of her other Son. Neither of these occurred in the comics. Marc's mother had died when he was very young. Marc's Brother also lived to adulthood, and would actually become one of Moon Knight's biggest villains: Shadow Knight. In the comics, Stephen was an imaginary friend created by Marc's troubled mind.
Fun Facts and Easter Eggs
* The Eternals were originally planned to appear in the post credit sequence, but this was changed for creative reasons.
* Oscar Isaac's Brother, Mike Hernandez filled in as a body double for Oscar when both personalities were on screen.
* Arthur Harrow was a one-off villain in the comics, only appearing in 1 issue and baring little similarity to the show's version.
* When Stephen finds the cellphone in episode 2, all of the calls were from Layla except one from "Duchamp", indicating it is Jean Paul Duchamp, Spector's close mercenary friend from the comics.
* Showrunner Mohamad Diab appears in as a background character in the final battle in episode 6.
* In the post credits sequence, Spector's car is in front of the Sienkiewicz Psychiatric hospital, a tribute to Bill Sienkiewicz, One of Moon Knight's first and most famous artists.
Cast and Crew
IMDB PROFILE
CREW:
Mohamed Diab - Lead Director: Ep 1, 3
Justin Benson - Director: Ep 2
Aaron Moorhead - Director: Ep 2
Jeremy Slater - Head Writer
Peter Cameron - Writer
Sabir Pirzada - Writer
Beau DeMayo - Writer
Michael Kastelein - Writer
Alex Meenehan - Writer
CAST:
Oscar Isaac - Marc Spector / Moon Knight
Ethan Hawke - Arthur Harrow
Gaspard Ulliel - Anton Mogart
F Murray Abraham - Khonshu
May Calamawy - Layla El-Faouly
Díana Bermudez - Yatzil
Gaspard Ulliel - Anton Mogart
Loic Mabanza - Bek
Ann Akinjirin - Bobbi
David Ganly - Billy
Antonia Salib - Tawaret
Sofia Danu - Ammit
Lucy Thackeray - Donna
Shaun Scott - Crawley (RUMORED)
Promotional Images
Clips And Featurettes
News Timeline
March 2022
Moon Knight Premiere's On Disney Plus on March 30
January 2022
On January 17, 2022 Marvel released the first official trailer for the Moon Knight Show.
The Release Date for the Show is revealed to be March 30, 2022.
Ethan Hawkes Character is confirmed to be Dr Arthur Harrow, who’s first (and only) appearance was in Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu #2.
August 2021
Leaks from early footage show Moon Knights new costume, which is primarily white and demonstrates egyptian/mummy influences.
May 2021
Marvel officially confirms that Oscar Isaac will play Moon Knight in the upcoming Disney Plus series.
January 2021
Ethan Hawke is announced as playing the yet unnamed villain in the show.
May Calamawy has signed on for an unannounced role.
Directors Mohamed Diab, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead have all been officially attached to the project.
The series is currently being written by Jeremy Slater and Beau DeMayo.
December 2020
In December of 2020, it was announced that Moon Knight would be an action-adventure story similar to Indiana Jones, and that Egyptian Iconography would be prevalent in the show.
Summer 2019
During the D23 Summit held during the summer of 2019, Marvel announced that Moon Knight was being developed as a live action TV show for the Disney+ Streaming service. The show would be canon with the established MCU, and relate to the other properties being developed such as Loki, Wandavision, Falcon and the Winter Solider, She Hulk, Blade, and many others.